My name's Matt Hayden and I live in Sydney's Inner West. It's an awesomely beautiful and fascinating city and I've built this site, with blog, to share my thoughts about living here, along with photos and videos from various locations in it.

While many local bloggers focus on just one aspect of living in a city -- such as the food, entertainment, or architecture -- I'm not going to be quite that specific. I'll include thoughts on whatever I find to be unique and compelling about the place.

Hopefully this will be of interest to people elsewhere -- both in Australia and overseas -- who are curious about what it's like to live in Sydney, as well as to locals looking for a different perspective on their city.

From Perth originally

I actually hail from Perth, so even though I have lived in Sydney on an off for about a decade now, I still feel a bit like a tourist! I'm constantly surprised by things I see here, particularly the physical beauty of the place.

Sydney's rugged topography means it has countless nooks and crannies, particularly around the harbour. No matter where you go you can't help but find new and interesting locations, often with stunning views.

Inner West mainly

I currently live in Petersham, and when I was here previously I lived in Newtown and Leichhardt. As a result I know the Inner West better than the rest of the city.

That said, I do get around a lot. So I'll include photos and videos from when I go out to the eastern, northern and southern suburbs.

Historical sites

Having grown up in a much younger city, I am consistently impressed by the many historical sites here. There are so many elegant, fascinating old buildings! I'm not an architecture buff, but will probably become one in time ... There are also numerous monuments and memorials, particularly in the CBD. I'll blog about these occasionally too.

Pubs and hotels

There are also many more charming, unique pubs here than in my hometown. And they're in much greater proximity to each other. While I'm no barfly I tend to keep my eye out for them and will include the odd post on this subject.

I hope you enjoy my thoughts on Sydney, and please don't hesitate to follow me on Twitter and Facebook as well (see icons above) to stay updated.